The Broken Road
by AlternativeRocker
Summary: Series documenting 10 meetings between Robert and Katherine spanning from their first introduction to after the events of The Lost Symbol.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: **Start of a ten chapter series spanning Robert and Katherine's friendship. Enjoy!

* * *

Peter was showing Robert Langdon a rare book on symbols that he had procured but they stopped talking as they heard a female voice shouting from the front entrance, "Peter, are you in here somewhere?"

"We're in the study." Robert raised an eyebrow, wondering if his friend had found himself a romantic partner. Peter gave a small smile and shook his head to answer the questioning look, just as a young woman - closer in age to him - glided in to the room.

"Robert, I would like you to finally meet my baby sister Katherine. Kate, this is Robert Langdon."

He held out his hand and she took it to shake, both their faces mirroring a small grin as they tried to subtly check the other out, both appreciating what they saw. Katherine knew he was about three years younger than her but he looked older with a smart shirt, jacket and loafers on that she couldn't stop herself. All the guys she came into contact with in school were science geeks that could barely form a sentence when near any member of the opposite gender so to be near someone like Robert was a nice change and she attempted to forget that he was a good swimmer as that had the potential to make her more flustered than she already felt.

She was wearing jeans that were almost worn through near the knees and a The Who tour t-shirt, her hair was in a messy ponytail with a little wisp that fell over her face before she tried to sweep it behind her ear. He was surprised by her clothing as he thought she would always be sharply dressed like her brother, yet the casual look made her seem so much more natural and it was somehow accentuating her shapely figure instead of hiding it

Peter went away to the kitchen to get drinks for them, Katherine guessed he would get distracted at some point on his mission so she sat herself down next to Robert, placing an arm on the back of the sofa and rested her cheek on that hand so as to face him when he began to talk.

"Your brother has spoken a lot about you."

"I hope he hasn't told you everything and left you wanting to run a mile from me now. Pleasure to meet you; you are Peter's little project and he barely stops for breath when talking of you." He smirked and shook his head; he had wanted to meet her since hearing Peter had a sister as the rest of the family was lovely.

She started to talk again with her lovely soft voice, "So what dark secret of Peter's do you know, because I could never have imagined him exhausting so much effort on a Princeton student?"

"Are you saying that while I thought the two of us here were getting on beautifully, you are quietly thinking I am not worthy of this company?"

"Maybe just a little," she said with a grin, making him know she was just messing with him. As they had guessed, Peter had got held up as he had found his mother and started a conversation with her, forgetting he was supposed to be entertaining.

"What are you studying?" Robert decided he should move the conversation to something that did not make him feel as though they were flirting.

"Psychology and Physics with a touch of Biology."

"Odd mixture, isn't it?"

"I can see the overlaps now and then, and how the brain works fascinates me and that brings in elements of all my classes."

He was about to speak about his own education but she got there first, clearly having been told all about him by their mutual acquaintance. "I guess you're religious in some way to be most interested in the symbolism of your lessons?"

"I am not a member of any religion which allows me to be objective but I do understand why man does seek solace in something beyond themselves. How about yourself, religion versus science?"

"Science; I don't believe in God but I believe there are invisible forces that have an impact of humans - such as souls and thoughts."

"Okay, I don't think I expected an answer like that. Are you also one who thinks everyone has a predetermined destiny?"

She smiled across to him, knowing that they were hugely different but enjoying the discussion. "I believe we are given pointers and that is the voice in your head that we call a conscience. And before you wonder, I do think there is such things as soulmates but it sometimes takes a while to find them and the reasons for it are different for each person, for example I could not guess what your soulmate would be like just as you and I don't have a clue about mine. I just do what you do: I look for connections in the seemingly unrelated."

He had not thought of it in that way but he supposed it was true.

They continued in this way for a little while longer yet she stood up and grabbed her shoulder-bag from the floor almost as soon as Peter arrived back.

"I had better be off, Physics class in thirty minutes." She looked back to Robert and smiled, not trusting herself to have a discussion with him while in the presence of someone who knew them both.

"Bye, it was lovely meeting you."

"Goodbye Katherine. I hope we see each other again to carry this on and see how many more opposing views we have.

She had the same shade of gray in her pupils as Peter did but there seemed to be more of a playful glint to them and he couldn't stop himself staring into them.


	2. Chapter 2

It was the evening of the Solomon's annual festive gathering and Robert had finally managed to arrange his schedule to allow him to go to the party for the first time in th few years of friendship he had shared with the family.

He was greeted by Katherine yet it took him a few moments to realize it was actually her because of how she looked. It was the first time Robert had seen Katherine in anything even vaguely resembling formal attire and it was a welcome change as she had pulled out all the stops on it. The dress she was wearing was festively red and reached just below the knee, it was a one-strapped item, leaving the other shoulder bare which highlighted the point at which it met her neck.

"Merry Christmas Katherine."

"To you too Robert."

"You look wonderful tonight, you should wear dresses more often." He tried to pass it off as a simple observation even though he knew that he could happily stare at her on dresses every day and not get bored.

She adjusted the black tie he was wearing, "Can't have you looking scruffier than myself. Although I think you could push you ahead in the cute stakes each time." She had been at the house for several hours by the point and had drank a couple of glasses of wine which was the reason she was more upfront with her flirting than she normally would have been.

"I would never call you scruffy."

Her flawless skin made her look perfectly polished even when he saw her lounging around rooms in her house but this night it looked better with only the slightest hint of make-up.

"Are you staying here the night?"

"Yes, Peter told me the hotel around the corner was not up to Solomon standards. Are you here or do you have your own place?"

"I put in an offer for one but haven't heard back yet so you'll be in my company as well. He was correct about the hotel too; I wouldn't allow you to sleep there either."

He only ever saw Katherine if she happened to interrupt his meetings with Peter but he found himself glad that she would be in the house too. "I'll see you later, you should probably get back to the queue of waiting arrivals."

A few hours later Peter's mother had brought a piece of mistletoe from somewhere and she was circling the room to capture unsuspecting pairs, which of course led her to find her youngest as she knew it would annoy her. Katherine and Robert had ended up back in conversation together after a mutual friend had tried to introduce them before realising they already knew one another. She glared at her mother when she saw the stem in her hand but glancing at Robert they both knew there was no chance of them getting out of the tradition.

He felt her smile against his lips as they softly came into contact. It barely lasted five seconds but they enjoyed it more than they knew they should have. After they broke apart her mother raised an eyebrow at the small smile Katherine had on her face to which the young female shrugged at, refusing to rise to the feelings that she may or may not have been experiencing for her friend

Late in the evening, bordering on late morning, once all the guests had left Peter, Robert and the elder Solomon female were in the lounge having casual conversation, wondering where Katherine had disappeared too after saying she was only going to get out of the ridiculously heavy dress. When she eventually joined them she had changed into a green Christmas jumper with tiny reindeer on it and a pair of red pajama bottoms. Her hair was down around her shoulders, wavy since being released from the style it had been up in.

"Do you like Christmas by any chance?" Robert joked as he took on her appearance.

"What gave you that I idea?" She smirked, sitting opposite him on the stool next to her mother who was in an armchair, who chose to continue to discuss the outfit.

"Katherine, could you not have changed into normal leisure wear?"

"This is my normal leisure wear! Nobody else has any complaints about it, do you?" Neither of the men in the room answered, knowing that agreeing one way or the other would be a serious mistake.


	3. Chapter 3

Robert was in his late twenties when he and Katherine first got drunk together in her apartment. It was her birthday and he had phoned her to congratulate which he learnt later was probably not the best strategy on these days. He could hear that she had already begun drinking and won him over eventually in her offer for him to join her, if only to protect her from herself.

Neither had ever managed to recall exactly what had happened that night after many glasses of various alcoholic beverages, and would never have entertained the idea that they had shared their first real kiss in that way, yet that was what had transpired during that evening.

* * *

"Happy birthday Katherine."

"Thanks but I am thirty! How did this happen Robert?!" He smirked at her as he hugged her quickly.

A little while later when they were sitting comfortably next to one another on the sofa e returned to their original conversation, "You worry about how old you physically are but you forget that you could easily pretend you are ten years younger still!"

"You are so nice, why are you so nice?" She was so

"I'm not that far behind you anyway."

"When did we get like this?"

"I don't know," he said as he played with the strand of hair that always caught his attention and ended up gently running his finger up and down her cheek. She leaned into his touch and realised there was very little distance between their mouths which she then decided to close.

Somehow he was still the perfect gentleman and refused to take it any further no matter how many times she insisted she knew what she was doing.

"You really are something Kate." She began to giggle and he gave her one of his infamous questioning glances.

"It's nothing. It's just that you have never called me Kate before; everyone else does but you always say Katherine."

"Do you want me to switch to shortening it all the time?"

"No, I like how Katherine sounds when you say it."

He elected to sleep on the couch, although she was too far gone to register what he said and fell soundly asleep in the clothes she was wearing as he couldn't bring himself to cross any other kind with her in this short a time.

In the morning his body still woke him up before normal humans deemed natural so he chose to clear up her living room somewhat and set to making a breakfast for the both of them from the foodstuffs she had in her kitchen.

He had not anticipated that her body clock was almost as cruel as his own and he heard some groans from her room as she woke up while he turned the oven in. Quickly finding that there was no coffee in her house - never mind fresh beans to grind - he made a pot of tea much to his own disgust.

"Morning." He offered when she entered the kitchen upon hearing him moving around in there.

"Oh god, I don't feel well Robert."

"I am not surprised in the slightest. Breakfast is not going to be that long."

She smiled before scrunching her eyebrows together, "You stayed?"

"I would never have forgiven myself had I left you in here alone considering the state you ended in."

"Thank you." She squeezed in shoulder in gratitude as she made her way across to the teapot, they spent the morning eating and recovering from the previous night before he left her apartment with a soft kiss to her cheek.


	4. Chapter 4

"Robert, is that you?"

He recognized the voice of his old friend immediately, "Yes. Hello Peter. How may I be of assistance?" He was only partially kidding - it was really the only reason he called most of the time. Robert was on his mid-morning break from classes and was glad to have someone to talk to, instead of trying to socialize with the rest of the teaching cohort.

"It's Kate, I was just on the phone with her for over an hour and I think she's lonely as it is Valentine's Day and she has no significant other. I don't mean to cause offence but I know you are in the same situation and I was wondering how to handle her when she calls back, which is guaranteed to happen."

It had taken Robert a moment to realize he was talking about Katherine, still not used to her being known as Kate to everyone except himself. He ran a hand through his hair, considering different ideas for how to help. If he was being truthful he had completely forgot about the significance of today until this conversation and it now made sense why all the students looked happy and bearing cards or gifts which had unsettled him that morning as he was used to them being sullen or downright rude.

"Peter, how about I phone and have a chat with her, that way you don't have to worry and I will have a friend to bask in loneliness with?" He hadn't spoken to her in a few weeks, bordering on months, and felt this was a good way to catch up.

"Would you mind? That might just work you know."

* * *

A security officer answered the phone which was something he had not thought about, he had also not asked whether she was at home or work - work was what they both did as much as possible and he would be shocked if she were moping at home by herself. "I was wondering if I could speak with Dr Solomon; Katherine that is, not Peter."

"I can go and see if she is free. Who shall I say is calling?"

"Robert Langdon. Thank you." A few minutes passed in which he only vaguely heard the football game that was on the guard's television.

Eventually he heard her not-so-chipper voice, "Robert, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Hi there, how are you today?"

There was a deep sigh from her end of the phone before she began to speak again, "Before you go on with the niceties, Peter called you didn't he?"

There was no point in denying it, she could always read him no matter how they were communicating. "He may have tipped me off. Honestly, I understand being depressed, we are the same."

"I bet you were with someone more recently than I was!"

"Irrelevant. Valentine's Day is for those you love, not one you met a couple of hours before." Neither realised that for the past few February 14th's they had ended up speaking together in some way and that his words probably should have set something of in them, but they had grown so accustomed to being content with their platonic friendship that there were very few pangs of feelings over a indirect line of speech any more.

"A couple of hours, new record for you isn't that? I've known you over a decade; I should feel ugly or something at not being wanted!" Their joking dialogues often progressed down this line so they read no more in to it, and they did enjoy finding out all about the other's relationship statuses.

"But Katherine, you know that is because I adore you and couldn't treat you that way."

"Charmer!" He could hear her smile down the line and wished he were there to see it. "Fancy flying over and getting wasted again? That is all I am in the mood for at this moment.

"Not really. And please don't do that alone, that will just make you look and feel worse."

"And you will lose respect for me?"

"I'm not sure what respect I have left for you." It was clear to them both that he didn't mean a word of it so she let him off with the low blow.

"You make me want to drink more now." They both began to laugh and sat in silence, not feeling that it was necessary to say more at that very second.

"Are you definitely okay Katherine?"

"Yeah, honestly Robert, my brother called quite earlier which I was mad over since I had just settled in work. He's probably lonely himself!"

"So... I'll see you some time soon I hope."

"I hope so too. Happy Valentine's Day Professor Langdon."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Dr Solomon."


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note:** Thank you to my guest reviewer, you made me remember about this and how much I enjoyed this series. P.S. I've read the preview opening to Inferno and am actually distraught Robert is apparently still a bachelor, like Katherine has to make a huge appearance right?!

* * *

It was a history class on the topic of types of coding used during ancient wars and she gave him all her focus. Robert has no idea that she was visiting the city and would no doubt be irritated that he hadn't let her pick her up from the airport or anything, but she had wanted to surprise him and felt like being in his lecture theatre would be appropriate after getting his schedule from Peter.

Although she barely understood how somebody could be so amused by symbols, she now knew why his students were so taken by the class; he had a way of teaching that allowed them to challenge any ideas he put forward while making them learn the facts as they went along, not minding when one of them got lost and had to have it explained once more.

At the end of the hour session Katherine bounced down the steps to where he was standing, looking over some paperwork, "Sir, are you free for a chat?"

He looked up at the sound of a voice that his voice told him he knew well. "Well then, what are you doing here?"

Her dark hair was longer that it had been in all the time he had known her and it was all over her one shoulder, cascading down her front in its tumultuous waves never having learnt to be perfectly straight even when heat had been used on it.

"I decided I had to come along and see at least one of the great Professor Robert Langdon's lectures." Katherine shrugged as he walked around the desk and wrapped her in a hug, whispers from remaining students echoed down and she knew some of them would be questioning the relationship status of their tutor.

His voice reverberated against her breastbone as he replied, "Yet I barely know what you do because I've heard you do some unknown branch of science that still has something to do with thoughts or minds or the like."

"You know what Noetics is, you would have researched it to death when I chose that as a project; you are worse than Peter!" He decided to take her out of this setting and to somewhere he was more at home - his office. The conversation flowed as naturally as always while he poured them each some orange juice he had in his fridge.

"You should have phoned in advance, I would have sorted out a lift and spare room for you, your family will disown me when they find out I let you stay somewhere else in a strange city."

"It's not that strange and you are only a phone call or cab ride away. It's not like when we're separated by hundreds of miles." She has told him it was only going to be a couple of nights she would be there for but they both unconsciously wanted to make it feel like it was for longer.

She noticed he glanced a few times at his watch and realised they had been talking for longer than she thought. "Do you have any plans for tonight? I don't have meetings until the morning but I should leave to your work and I want a friendly face for the evening."

"I'll cancel my busy evening of marking essays and treat you to the finest meal I know, and I think tonight feels like an Italian so I have the perfect place." He  
seemed to know exactly what her body was craving and simply nodded in agreement.

"I wish you had been one of my history professors at some point, I maybe would have cared a little more like your students seem to."

"I'm closer in age to them compared to the ones in their fifties and sixties which makes a lot of difference I suppose."

"I bet the kids will still listen even when you are one of those ancient teachers."

* * *

They sat opposite one another in a tiny little restaurant, eating different varieties of pasta and occasionally letting their friend try their own food, not caring about sharing as they had always felt completely at ease together, wishing they had shared more dinners like this before he moved.

The only awkward moment that they experienced was at the end, when they had to get taxis since her hotel was the other direction to his home and they had no clue how to say goodbye. They were used to easier situations where they could say goodbye over a phone or say farewell, knowing it wouldn't be long before they saw each other again. But on this street they didn't know the next time they would meet or even have a reason to phone. The rain was pouring down on them but neither minded as they joked and avoided meaningful eye contact.

Katherine smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheek, holding on a little too long and trying to ignore how much she wanted to wait in the rain and travel in his taxi.

"I hope you choose to come to one of my lectures again, it was the best surprise I could have hoped for."

"I'll try my hardest."


	6. Chapter 6

After a lengthy pause of hearing the incessant ringing of the phone she finally picked it up after finding it between the two sofa cushions.

"Katherine? Robert Langdon here. I have to come over to your stomping ground for some event this evening. If you are available and willing there is a plus one ticket going spare and I would love to see you."

"Aww, you don't know how touched I am by the offer and if it were any other day I would be there in an instant but I won't be leaving my bedroom, never mind house, as I am really unwell." Her mind suddenly went through her wardrobe and picked out the perfect dress for a party she was unable to attend. It would have been a navy knee-length one with capped sleeves and a sweetheart neckline that she had bought the previous month for a dinner that never happened either.

"You don't need to make up an excuse, I know it was short notice and there was little chance of you accepting but-"

"Robert, honestly, I am not making this up! I have vomited three times and have a bowl of now-cold soup next to me. I could cry over not getting to see you and mock your work at a fancy party! You should know that is my favorite hobby." They both knew she was just joking as she did respect his work, yet the people he socialized with were not her favorites and to be honest she had caught him rolling his eyes at them too.

"Hungover again Ms. Solomon?"

"No I am not, food hasn't been agreeing with my stomach yesterday or today." She had narrowed it down to either a prawn dish or yogurt that had made her ill - both of which she had found in her fridge and had forgot to check the date on either.

"Do you want some company, I land in Washington in a couple of hours and have some time before the dinner?"

Katherine understood that food poisoning was not technically able to be transmitted but the rational side of her brain was not kicking in, "No, I can't make you ill!"

* * *

"I told you not to come over."

"I wanted to see a friend and her being queasy was not going to stop that."

He put an arm along the back of the sofa behind her shoulders before choosing to move closer to her and allow her to snuggle against his side. They were old enough to realize being with the other was still the most comfortable they ever felt and if she hadn't been afraid of infecting him she would have seriously considered making some sort of advance.

"So, excluding the past few days, how have you been?"

"I have been okay; throwing myself into work as always."

"I do love how you are better dressed when ill than you were as a twenty-two year old student who should have been trying to impress even more guys."

"I had a premonition I would meet you that day and knew I'd never have to impress another man."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, but I know you just need a drinking buddy who can last longer than you - which is no mean feat."

"You were just as drunk as me that night!"

"True, I still don't remember after that second round of shots you brought out." Once, a couple of years back, Robert had had a flashback of kissing her that evening but tried to tell himself they wouldn't have done that while attempting to erase it from his memory, almost promising himself never to tell Katherine about it in case it caused any more awkward moment of tension to arise as was becoming ever more frequent when they spent time in each other's company.

"You let me have more than one shot?!"

"It's probably that night that is coming back on me now."

"Katherine, that was eleven years ago, even people who can't handle alcohol in the slightest don't have it in their system that long!"

He had not noticed until then that Katherine was now the first person he thought of and called when he was traveling to the capital, instead of Peter.

"I have to know though, about this event tonight, was I just a second choice - did another woman stand you up so you phoned me at the last minute in hopes I would be there as always?"

"No, it was a late invite yesterday to this benefit and a soon as I heard Washington I thought of baby Solomon. I generally think about you most nights out like this after all the times we meet at them."

"You'll be late if you stay here any longer." She looked up at him and gave a lop-sided smile, not really wanting him to leave but knowing that there would be some reason he had been invited to it and it wasn't just because he had a pretty face.

"I suppose. I still wish I knew somebody else there."

Katherine helped him up by pressing against his side as he began to make his way to the door. "That has never stopped you before, go on, I'll call you later when you've had a few drinks and see how it really was."

"I'm not getting a flight until tomorrow afternoon so I might be able to pop in on my way."

She was standing too by this point and kissed his cheek briefly, "You don't need to. I can manage without somebody making a fuss like this."

"Hope you get better soon." He had already decided to come back in the morning no matter her protests and he was looking forward to it before he had even went to the party which was supposed to be why he was in the city.

"Have a nice night."


	7. Chapter 7

Her heart sank slightly when she saw Robert Langdon enter with his hand gently resting on the base of a woman's back.

It was the first time she had seen him on anything other that a newspaper in months and she relaxed when he put his arms around her in a hug, his lean muscle always providing her with a sense of safety when they embraced.

"Sophie, this is one of my longest serving friends Katherine Solomon. Katherine, Sophie Neveu, I met her in Paris." The two women acknowledged one another as Katherine and Robert managed to exchange looks which conveyed their pleasure at seeing the other and with the aid of her wrecked expressed her surprise over his recent infamy and his friend. Over all the years his dates had never been this much younger than him and she experienced pangs of jealousy at the thought of being replaced by somebody foreign and mysterious, neither of which she could ever be to him.

He had not thought about anything other than the fact Katherine would be there since accepting the invite, knowing it was wrong but he seemed unable to change anything when it came to her. Now that he was technically dating Sophie he felt even more self loathing but he reasoned that it would only be despicable if he was in love with Katherine. Which he wasn't; he was here with Sophie.

Sophie was a very amiable person to talk with but Katherine could not stop the thoughts that were jarring her mind about the fact the other female was a lot younger than Robert and that they barely knew anything personal about their partner yet he had brought her along to this high-class fundraiser.

When the meal three course meal was served he and Sophie were seated opposite Katherine, Peter and his wife on one side of her. Between dishes he realised that he kept glancing at her and couldn't believe he had not called her since returning, finally picking up on the truth that he had missed her and that he misses get whenever they aren't in contact. Not that he would tell anybody, especially not when he was still with Sophie - he was with her, she was sat next to him for heaven's sake!

There were a couple of visible laughter lines next to Katherine's eyes when she smiled which made her yet more endearing and he tried to ignore the desire that was clouding his mind, knowing that he should only be thinking of the female beside him instead of the one with the fishtail braid falling down the front of her right shoulder.

Unbeknown to Katherine it was later that same evening when Sophie informed Robert that she was going back to Paris and that she felt it would be better if he stayed in America, he knew that she was breaking it off gently but it riled him that she had played along happily at the benefit. He halted the part of his brain that told him he had not played along happily with her though.

He did not even consider that the memories he had of the night all featured the female Solomon sibling more than the woman who was supposed to be his date, he just tried to put any of those thoughts down to them having been friends for so long that she was bound to appear in some of his recollection.

He could not resist dialling her phone number when he got back to his hotel but the answer he got was the voice of her machine and he couldn't talk to that, couldn't tell a silly box all the things that he wanted to say to that one person who made him feel lightheaded while making him feel so solid and complete at the same time, so he hung up without leaving any message. When she got home she saw the flashing red light and pressed play after seeing Robert's number, only to have a second or so of his breath before he was gone. She sat on the carpeted floor of her front room still in her dress, and hit repeat, wishing upon everything he had said even one word.


	8. Chapter 8

It was the next time they met where they felt closest to doing something about their constantly recurring feelings for the other person, and when she had hoped most for a phone call to follow.

He asked her for a dance at another night out and for some reason she could not fathom she had accepted his hand and was led to the dancefloor.

"I don't know the correct steps or this music."

"It doesn't matter, you can accidentally stand on my toes as many times as you have to." He smiled down at her and she blushed ever so slightly.

She placed one hand in his and the other on his shoulder - although it immediately began to move towards his chest - while his fingers laced with hers and rested his left hand on the lower half of her back, not daring to overstep the boundaries.

By the time the music finally ended and they were about to return to their table they realised their close proximity. Her head had found its was on to his collarbone and the hand that had been at a harmless point on her back was sitting dangerously close to the very base of her spine. It was by no means the first time they had danced for a long while together; they had always been the immediate choice at social events if both had attended on their own - but this felt different and they weren't sure how to explain it in their own heads.

However, when they sat down once more, instead of having a conversation with Robert she spoke to the man on her right hand side who she seemed to have met before.

He had never really cared for a partner enough to be incredibly jealous of possible admirers but he was getting an idea of what it was like as he saw Katherine twirl that one strand of hair that was forever coming loose, in what he knew was an attempt to flirt.

Robert stood up from the table to go to the toilet and glanced back, noticing Katherine momentarily turned to see where he had walked off to.

She was not even attracted to the other man but after the dance with Robert she could hardly look at him, just sitting next to him made her head pound and her heart flutter. Before this evening she had always admitted to herself that she quite fancied Peter's favourite fan but sensing that he felt the same was terrifying to a woman who had never thought a man could make her this insecure.

She tilted her head to the side so that she was able to see the door and therefore subtly watch as Robert strolled back in - once more looking in her direction to see that she was entertaining her old colleague - before finding an empty seat at another table. She ignored the disappointment that threatened to overtake her body and threw herself totally in to the conversation she was meant to be a part of.

Katherine and Robert made eye contact several hundred times during the evening and repeatedly held it for longer than was appropriate for two friends.

"Robert, I will not be needing that lift home for a while, you could leave if you want and I'll just get a cab."

"I don't mind staying, I was enjoying myself and I can you seem to be having a thrilling time with this guy. You probably won't be requiring my help if things go to plan, right?"

She stood up and pulled on his arm and moved them into the entrance hall, glaring at him when she finally turned around.

"How dare you say that to me in front of other people! God, if that's how you actually feel then tell _me,_ don't involve somebody I was only speaking with!" He could see tears threatening to fall and it was then he realised she was not angry, but scared that he had started to dislike or even hate her. Neither of which he could ever feel towards her of all people.

"Look, Katherine, I apologise for that honestly, but you have to understand my reasons. How dare _you_ get this sanctimonious after the way you treated me at the table over there." He whispered, placing the palm of his hand on to her cheek, gently stroking it with his thumb as her eyelids closed and she leaned into his touch.

She began to speak as they held their positions except Katherine moved closer to his body, "I am in no way in love with you or anything remotely similar to that but damn, you make events such as this impossible to enjoy because I get scared when we have moments like that dance."

While her eyes were still shut he kissed her very gently on the lips.

After they broke apart they rested their foreheads together before he spoke. "We live on other sides of America, maybe we should wait until we are capable of this kind of thing." He knew from Peter that she would still have to be in Washington for another three years but it had been that long since his Paris adventure which had passed in the blink of an eye so maybe this could too, and then they could reassess their situation.

They both were devoted to their work and always had been which only made the other more attractive if they were honest but it was also the reason they both knew they couldn't make something yet from all their years of long distance friendship.

"That wasn't our first kiss like this was it? We made out when we got drunk but you stopped before we went any further."

"So that did happen? I always wondered if I had dreamt it or not." He admitted, kissing her once again.

"I wish you were not always such a good guy, most others would have slept with me then but you of course did not... Maybe it would have made this easier and we might have already been happy."

"Or we may have regretted it so much that we could not bear to look at the other. Hindsight is a marvellous thing Katherine."

"This is going to be a horrible couple of years if I don't get to do this after future parties, like Peter's in May." Robert had forgot about that event and he wanted to take back his words in an instant because he was sure he would not be able to cope looking at her after agreeing these terms. They indulged in their new hobby a little more before both silently accepting it was for the best if they didn't attempt to have a long distance thing, no matter how hard this alternative would be.


	9. Chapter 9

"I thought I might find you here." It was an hour after they had seen the inscription on the Washington Monument when Katherine went down to the pool in his hotel. Other than she and Robert the place was empty - not surprising as the people who stayed here were yet to awaken.

She was wearing a knee-length denim skirt over her bare legs and a white fitted blouse, her hair left down in its natural almost-straight style when he looked around to where her voice was emanating from.

"Not many other placed I would be."

She slid her sandles off and walked over to where he was before sitting sown at the edge of the pool and letting the lower half of her legs drop into the warm water.

"You've interrupted my swim."

"I'm sure you can go without finishing them once in your life."

"True. Are you okay now?"

"Yes," she smiled and ran a finger down the side of his face. He pushed himself up on either side of her, using the strength he had in his arms to hold him there as she lowered her head and kissed him.

The water dripped off his body and covered her clothing but she didn't notice it at all as every sense was trying to take in what was happening on her lips.

Eventually he had lost most of the feeling in his biceps so gently pulled away from her and slowly descended back down. In response Katherine simply leaned further down so that she could practically touch the floor with her chin and shifted closer to the edge, connecting their mouths and tongues once more.

His arms were back out of the water with his palms on the sides of her face while her legs wrapped around his torso ever so slightly.

When they broke apart he murmured into her ear, "You're getting soaked, we could go upstairs."

"Doesn't matter, want nearer now." He smirked while kissing her neck at the fact he had reduced the usually articulate Katherine Solomon into a woman who was barely able to string a sentence together.

She pushed herself off the remainder of the tiled floor and entered the water where he caught her around the waist so her face wouldn't go under before he got another kiss, his hands registering that her shirt must have slid up as they made contact with soft flesh. He carefully pressed her back against the side of the pool while also being pulled as close as physically possible to her body.

Breathlessly she began to speak against his mouth, "You know, I realised this morning that I haven't even had the chance to ask if you are involved with anyone nowadays."

"Do you truly think I would have let you make so much contact with me yesterday if I was? Even with our history I am not that spiteful toward you."

"It wasn't that much!" She hit him gently on the chest as they both laughed, her face lighting up more than he had seen since she had got in touch.

"Do you remember what we said at Peter's last party?" Katherine decided to ask.

"It's been on a constant loop since I heard your voice for the first time in over a year."

"Robert, do you think we could look again at that deal?"

"Have you decided our circumstances have changed significantly?"

"We are currently in the same place at the same time and I don't want to think yet about any sort of future beyond this."

"Don't think then." He muttered as he firmly pressed her lips back on to his.

"You were with that French girl Sophie last and before that was it an Italian? Are you sure you want to slum it with a plain old American girl?"

"There is nothing plain or old about you." Katherine slowly kissed every one of the bruises she found littering his upper body, her mouth hardly making contact to prevent him feeling any pain.

Suddenly her expression turned serious, "When he had you in that tank I thought you had left me for good!" She exclaimed as frustrated and relieved tears spilled down her cheeks when she remembered how helpless and broken she had felt in the basement.

"Hey, hey! I won't ever make you feel that way again and if I do you have permission to stop caring about me."

"I could never stop."


	10. Chapter 10

**Authors Note: **I aimed to complete this by the release of Inferno and I think personally that publication day is quite acceptable. :)

* * *

Robert glanced up at his captivated audience in his Harvard lecture hall and noticed a woman he recognized rather well sitting near the back, reminding him off a similar scene when they had both been so much younger. He saw the light from the ceiling reflect off of her wedding ring and couldn't mask his pleasure at knowing she was finally his other half.

"One thing before you leave, if after all these years of doing this course you have realized that science and psychology is your true calling, or even just have a free timetable block, I would advise you to take the Intro To Noetics class run by the gorgeous woman near the top there, Dr Katherine Solomon." She had the decency to blush ever so slightly but played along anyway.

"He's only saying that because he knows he'd be dead if he didn't advertise it when I was in the room," she said with a wink which received a couple of whistles from the students that were well aware of the marriage and thought you could not meet a couple more clearly besotted by each other.

Katherine was constantly surprised by how much she enjoyed teaching and the response she got from the students who were truly interested made her ecstatic. She still did her own research projects as much as she could and was finding out yet more evidence to prove that collective thoughts had the power to change other things.

She walked down the stairs of the lecture theatre and put her arms around the back of his neck, not caring that there were still a few people milling around to bear witness to the kiss she gave her husband. They had been open about their relationship since she had been offered the job as it would have been speculated upon thanks to both their actions and the fact he had suggested the new course to the dean.

"I wanted to see if you had improved after fifteen years."

"So am I any better?"

She shrugged, "Have to admit, this time around, I got a little distracted by both the pretty symbols you were showing, and of course because the tone of your voice makes the words you say so very unimportant."

"As if I was going to take the word of a girl who looked so scruf- grungey that I would never have believed she were a scientist had I not been told by Peter."

"Did you almost call me scruffy after saying you never would? And I still dress like that!" She said smirking up at him as he groaned in mock-irritation.

"You have no proof that was what could have slipped off my tongue. I agree you still do but these days it's at home where you have absolutely nothing to prove."

"In other words you don't think I should meet history students in that outfit like I did with you? Maybe I should and then in thirty years time I could end up with a younger guy just like you, only with more life ahead." Katherine could not keep a straight face herself and squeezed the hand in hers.

"I am younger than you though, and nobody else would admit their love for you in a swimming pool." By this point they were outside the front of the campus, strolling across the courtyard towards the car park.

"It's a good thing you are my soulmate or I'd hit you right now."

"Eloquent as ever but what if I do this..." He muttered as he alternated between kissing and nipping the trail from her jaw to throat.

"Stop it, you silly distraction. Can I remind you that I told you soulmates existed during our very first conversation so I think I should get some prize for being correct."

He laughed before kissing her once more, "Ex-bookish bachelor seeking married Noetic Scientist to take home and celebrate one years marriage with."


End file.
